“ Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will

be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet

I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.” — John 16:32

NKJV

No more fitting a passage came to my mind when I

thought of the end of the school year. Within mere hours, we

will all be gone from this campus, some never to return. For

many, this is a time when a

new book is opened in our

lives, not just a new chapter.

Calling the journey through

Fork Union a “chapter” of our

lives is certainly insufficient;

we live a volume of many

books in our years on Earth,

and the unique experience held

by all at this great school is one

of them. In the above verse,

Jesus is talking to His disciples about his near future, and He

follows it by saying in verse 33 of the same chapter: “In Me you

may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be

of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Is that not reassur-

ing?

Seniors: in the twinkle of an eye, you will be embark-

ing on a new journey, and yet a new book in your life’s volume.

There’s simply no need to say that you will all do great things,

it’s foreknown from all of your great success in making it

through the slalom of life here that you will. Your colleges will

be lucky to have you; whether you applied for the hopes of

making it big in athletics, or prefer trigonometry to track, your

hard work will result in success wherever life will take you.

Upon departure, you will undoubtedly realize that

Fork Union Military Academy’s five core values do not neces-

sarily permeate college life. In fact, universities in the United

States have been forsaking their spirituality for ideas of equali-

ty and universal acceptance. I have never heard of a human on

Earth more universally accepting than Jesus Christ, who open-

ly healed socially-dejected lepers and restored sight to beg-

gars. He talked to unbelievers, spoke to those who denounced

His name, and never ceased professing the Truth of the Gospel,

even unto his physical death at Pilate’s hand. Christ was and is

the only true beacon and con-

stant source of equality that the

world has ever known. No ac-

tions by any government or ad-

ministration will ever treat all of

God’s children with the love,

equality, patience and grace that

Christ Jesus always has.

To those readers among you

who’ve proclaimed Jesus Christ

as not only your Savior but your

Lord, hold strong to the core of your beliefs. College will put

your faith t o the test in many ways. The Atlantic puts it like

this: “[Freshmen] leave their church, the community incentives

to attend it, and the watchful eye of parents who get angry or

make them feel guilty when they don’t go to services or stray

in their faith. Suddenly they’re surrounded by dorm mates of

different faiths or no faith at all.” It’s a problem for sure, but

being a churchgoer does not equate to a relationship with God.

With vigilance, a young man of strong faith will shine his light

into the darkness that envelopes many universities in America.

A tad shorter, admittedly, but as a note to you under-

classmen who will not see college life just yet, take this sum-

mer vacation and use it to the fullest. You all deserve it for

your fantastic work this year. We’ll see you again soon.

A Life of Faith, John 16:32

Volume I , Issue 6:

Graduat ion Edi t ion

Graduat ion

Edit ion

May

27

2016 Written by: Cadet Micah Giszack

Volume I , Issue 6: Graduat ion Edi t ion Page 2

Discipline is the practice of training people to obey

rules or a code of behavior, employing punishment to correct

disobedience. What have I learned while at Fork Union Mili-

tary Academy? I learned that closing the gap between my

goals and myself is entirely dependent on not just discipline,

but self-discipline, a trait that Fork Union instills in cadets,

even if they only view the tasks at hand as trite or bland. The

system of organization provided by FUMA continues to allow

me to grow and heighten my abilities which will cause me to

be successful both here and in the outside world. In my first

two weeks at Fork Union, discipline came across by more

instantaneous means: football pre-season began and so did

the rush to become a winning team did . At the time, all I felt

was pain as my body ached from the long, gruelling practice

hours, but at the end of those two weeks I began to recognize

the skills I had gained and how much I had learned. While

discipline is difficult, it is essential to becoming everything

you are capable of being. CQ, the dreaded evening study ses-

sion that cadets bemoan, is what grows them and teaches

them how to be successful in a college and in a working envi-

ronment; students at regular high schools just never so com-

pletely learn the immediate consequences of falling behind in

your work as we do with the One Subject Plan. Tasks given to

us by FUMA are what give us an edge in life to do better, ac-

complish more, and go above and beyond. Discipline closes

the gap between failure and triumph.

FUMA is an academy that has garnered a reputation

for bringing people in from all sorts of backgrounds, whether

as a seventh grader from Florida or a postgraduate from its

very state of Virginia. I had a chance to sit down and inter-

view one of this year’s current postgraduate basketball play-

ers, Eddie Johnson-Clayton as we talked about his experience

at FUMA.

Johnson-Clayton is a six-foot-six power forward

from Chesapeake Virginia. He was a successful player at his

alma mater, Deep Creek High School, earning 1st team all-

conference in his senior year, but he wished to hone his skills

and improve his game, which was one of the reasons he de-

cided to attend Fork Union.

When talking about the PG basketball season this

year, he stated that he did just that and explained how he

believes this team has, “set a standard for future players to

come.” This is safe to say considering how this has been

Coach Matthew Donohue’s first twenty-win season (25-7)

and the first time Fork Union has ever played in the national

prep school tournament. Johnson-Clayton credits much of

the success to the chemistry that the team acquired through

spending so much time together. “The team got along, we are

actually brothers here. It is literally like a family”, Said John-

son-Clayton when talking about his teammates. He feels that

he has obtained some long-term relationships evidenced how

he plans to stay in touch with some of the guys during and

even after college.

Eddie said that he has developed in rebounding,

defense, and in his mindset toward the game but he feels that

there has been an improvement off the court as well. He ex-

pressed how Fork Union has helped him to deeply instill “a

discipline of learning” with which he had never been familiar.

He said that FUMA has helped him to make better decisions

big and small and that he even plans to take things as simple

as tidying habits with him in the future.

Johnson-Clayton has a lot of great memories from

Fork Union but when I asked him which one he would put at

the top, he responded with the home victory against Har-

grave. “The experience of beating the number one team in

the country and having all of the fans storm the court was

incredible.” That unlikely win is definitely something John-

son Clayton and his teammates will cherish for a long time.

Johnson-Clayton has completed his goal of finishing

the year at Fork Union as a postgraduate but he has even

greater goals to achieve once he leaves especially “Getting a

degree,” according to him. His family has a tradition, which

they call the “Johnson Quota of learning,” in which everyone

in his family that graduates from college has their high school

picture on one side, and their college graduation picture on

the other. Johnson-Clayton is the youngest of his family but

plans to keep the tradition going on strong, as he will attend

Virginia Union in the fall. He has finished one leg of his jour-

ney, but has many more ahead of him and is excited to take

them on with full force.

Fork Union’s Edifice of Discipline Crafted by Cadet Luke Burton

Conducted and written by Cadet Charles Minlend

Plans of a Post-Graduate: The Clayton-Johnson Experience

Volume I , Issue 6: Graduat ion Edi t ion Page 3

My Life and Fork Union: A Recount by Coach Micky Sullivan Written by Coach Micky Sullivan

Well, I guess it’s finally time to leave. I know the sen-

iors & PGs who have spent anywhere from one to seven years

are not only excited to venture out, but nervous, too as they

await graduation day.

My mother dropped me off at Fork Union in 1965,

and I am still waiting on her to return. Well, mom or not, I am

finally going to leave FUMA. I have been a part of this place for

forty-two of the fifty-three years since September of 1963. So, I

guess I am a little excited to see what my new life will bring.

There have been many changes since I first arrived

here, and there will surely be slews more in the next years.

The library where I did all my research is now Flag Hall, the

band’s practice facility. I dissected frogs for my biology class

right where Major Krogh now sits in Perkins Technology Cen-

ter. We ate corps meals in the basement of Hatcher Hall, which

is now the home of the Academic Center. I sat down for Mess

III where Coach Brian Haney sits today. We watched movies in

Vaughn Hall, which has been used as both the Commandant’s

Department and now our social center, we played tag where

Wicker Science Hall now rests.

As an instructor, I have coached and taught in the

former Middle School Gym, a building which even current ca-

dets may have never entered. I watched the Estes Center rise

up from the ground, then nearly a decade ago, our Aquatics

Center followed suit. I watched the Estes Dining Hall and Ja-

cobson Hall pop up over the course of a few years. I witnessed

the destruction of Snead and Memorial Hall. Through all of

this, I’ve lived under presidents named Wicker, Whitescarver,

Clanton, Pulliam, Jackson and Burhoe guiding the FUMA ship

through times good and bad, spending untold hours trying to

make this school a better place for the teachers and the boys.

I experienced Viet Nam, the assassination of Presi-

dent Kennedy, September 11th, and the war against Bin Laden

in the Middle East. I lived through these things with men and

women of Fork Union as we learned about what it means to be

a patriot, faithful, and charitable. I was able to witness these

things through them by their words and their actions, too; the

way they lived their lives was enough.

I and many other fortunate men like me have learned

firsthand from great men like Blair, Pulliam, Clark, Shuman,

Hardy, Hitchcock, Nicholson, Arritt, to name a few, the virtues

of mind, body and spirit, and the precepts of respect for self

and for others. They taught me how to face adversity, and to

stand accountable for my actions, that I need to get up and

press on; persevere always—even when immediate success is

unattainable. These invaluable skills and lessons were learned

on and off the field, through steady observation of these men-

tors and teachers living their lives as men of character and

morality.

I chose to come to Fork Union in 1963, and alongside

my wife Kathy, chose again to return as a teacher in 1975, then

again after that in 1983. It was at this time that I finally under-

stood that I was meant to be a teacher and coach, not a busi-

nessman. I never regretted any of these decisions. As a cadet

on ED, however, I did start to wonder…

These forty-two years from my old days have been

filled with names the likes of Doug, Dickie and Josh, not to

mention Coaches Blair, Pulliam, Miller and Clark, Cols. Spencer

and Ruttman. In my coaching and teaching years, I think of the

names of good, now-men, like Shuman and Banch to George,

Perry, Bodine and Hackenberg and interns Lee and Sposato.

Mixed in with these players’ names are my current or former

co-workers including Donohue, Hazlett, Hooper, Hardy, Shu-

man, Hitchcock and Brown. All of these boys and men have

taught me merits like teamwork, respect, character, truth, and

honor, both through actions and through their words. The

memories that I have will surely last me a lifetime. I will al-

ways be thankful for the time I have spent on this campus.

My Fork Union brothers from the graduating class of

1966 use the term “home” to refer to this place a great deal,

but they did not always think of it in that way. The graduates

this year will not all immediately link the words FUMA and

home immediately, but as it happened for me and my class-

mates, so it will for the young men who will go forth on Satur-

day. I will always know that this small place in Central Virginia

is my home.

Over the run of my life, I have been known by many titles

which include cadet, PG, graduate, husband, dad (and pop, of

course). Today, I will get to add another to that list: retired.

As we all leave this hallowed place, I want to wish each of you

good luck. May God Almighty bless and keep you, and allow

you to find a place to call “home” like I do and always will.

Go FUMA class of 2016!

Volume I , Issue 6: Graduat ion Edi t ion Page 4

Throughout this past school year, the Fork Union chapter of

the Interact/Rotary Club has made it their mission to end

strife and support the community around it. To this end, they

engaged in a plethora of volunteer projects with compassion-

ate hearts and firm resolves. In October, the entire club

played their part to end poverty in Stop Hunger Now. The

cadets operated a sort of human assembly line, passing bags

of vitamins, vegetables, protein mix, and rice for the benefit

of those stricken with destitution. At its conclusion, the ca-

dets and supporting members of the community surpassed

their goal, packing a grand total of 18,000 food parcels for

immediate consignment to the needy. Furthermore, in De-

cember, a few members of the club volunteered to take part

in Happy Face. In this magnanimous endeavor, a charity ac-

cumulates donations in order to gather gifts for underprivi-

leged families during Christmastime. As an active participant

in Happy Face, I can personally attest that the smiles on the

children’s faces as you hand them a Hot Wheels car are un-

forgettable… to say the least. Moreover, in March, cadets Ed-

ward Thomas and Ryan McEnroe enlisted to jump in the frig-

id waters of Lake Monticello [1] to raise pledges for a collec-

tive sum of $250. Combined with the other participants in the

Penguin Plunge, they raised $21,000 for charity. All these

projects show just how much good one organization can do.

This year, we at The Sabre have produced a lot of

content. Right now, you are reading the sixth edition of the

Sabre Now, the up-to-date newsletter that we trialed this

school year, for the first time ever. We had three printed edi-

tions of The Sabre, our iconic print newspaper, all of which

were received fantastically.

One notable hindrance in a cadet-run newspaper is

that the ebb and flow of articles and editing changes with the

terms; if a particularly active writer finds himself in an inor-

dinately busy class, his productivity is crimped. The same

goes for the editing of the articles. We have one cadet editor

and one faculty editor who is also tasked with various com-

mittees and classes of her own. In this situation where we

must meet a tight deadline whilst ensuring utmost quality,

auxiliary help is needed.

If it were not for the fantastic work of Mrs. Hitch-

cock this school year, our team of writers and editors could

not have done all that we did. Last year God blessed us with a

large team of writers and editors. This year, He blessed us

with her. From all of us at The Sabre, thank you, ma’am for all

of your work. You did not have to do any of this. You used

your skills to do God’s work with our young men, and that is

more than any of us could have ever asked for.

A Year of Interaction

A Thank-You to Mrs. Cathy Hitchcock

Crafted by Cadet Dalton Fowler

A Message from The Sabre

Faith Is...

Faith is believing, although you are not

seeing—faith is knowing that there

is a heavenly being

Faith is maintaining your hope when it

seems there is none. Faith is know-

ing you have won the war before

the battle is won

Faith is believing yes, when others say

no! It is determination on the go

Faith is not giving up when you have a

setback. Faith is belief that you’ll get

back on track

Faith is knowing that there’s a power

greater than you, realizing that no

giant can keep you from going

through

Faith is finishing the race even though

your legs ache. It is not letting evil

make you break

Faith is belief in God’s holy word, know-

ing that as His child, you’re set apart

Faith is living in, but not confirming to

the ideologies of this land; overcom-

ing adversity—again and again

Faith of any strength is acknowledged by

God. You just believe and he’ll do

His part

Faith lets you avoid life’s fiery darts,

faith is the key to God’s loving heart.

Faith is...

Originally Crafted by Mr. James, FUMA staff

Volume I , Issue 6: Graduat ion Edi t ion Page 5

As we arrive at the conclusion of this school year,

yet another beautiful tree has been added to the FUMA arbor.

This marks the third year in which a tree has been dedicated

to the year’s cadet graduates, as well as retirees. This year’s

retirees honored by the dedication of this tree are Mrs. Cindi

McIlnay, Mr. J.R. Smith, Mrs. Henri Cobb, COL Micky Sullivan,

and LTC Ed Moore.

The trees, of the weeping cherry variety, have been donated

annually, starting in 2014, by the Global Citizens’ Club, found-

ed and lead by Mrs. Katherine Giszack since 2013. Each year,

the Global Citizens’ Club hosts multiple fundraising events,

including doughnut sales (the cadets enjoy this one), in order

to raise the money they need both to fund their club’s ex-

penses, as well as the community service acts that they as-

pire to complete in any given year.

As the close to this fine school year is upon us, the Global

Citizens’ Club, as well as all other faculty members, staff, and

cadets, wish all of our graduates and retirees both luck in

success in all of their future academic, or otherwise, endeav-

ors.

As we look back on this past academic year, it might

interest you to know that we had 95 chapel services this

year. In addition to myself, Fork Union’s chaplain, we had 20

individuals present special messages to the corps. Six of these

were Christian Leadership Series speakers, three were alumni,

and three were current cadets. Also, six current faculty or

staff presented a total of 16 messages between themselves. In

all, 30 times in chapel this year, there was someone other than

yours truly speaking to you.

All these different voices presented personal mes-

sages of faith and the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Fork Union

community. What a wonderful opportunity for us to hear

from God in such diverse ways! And while we may not all

remember each message specifically, I pray that each of us

connected at a spiritual level with at least one chapel message

this year. As we move on along life’s journey from this school

year, we will all have various experiences in different plac-

es. But the constant for all of us will always be God. No matter

where we are, and what we are experiencing, God is and will

always be ever-present: omnipresent, and He chooses many

different ways to communicate with us. Sometimes the deliv-

ery method is varying, and many times, the voice He uses will

change.

My question for you is this: are you listening for Him

in the midst of your busy life?

Have a great summer, and always keep listening for God!

Tree Dedication for 2016’s Retirees, Seniors & PG class

A Send-Off Message... Are You Listening for God? Crafted by Chaplain James Benson

Created by Cadet Jared Giszack

FUMA’s All-State Baseball Players Created by Cadet Zachary Miller

Just recently, Fork Union’s Prep Baseball’s team had

two cadets selected as 2016 VISAA Division 1 All-State play-

ers. Junior Jacob Grabeel and Sophomore Adam Hackenberg

earned All-State honors. Both cadets were named to Virginia

Prep League’s All-Prep team as well. In order to be selected to

the All-Prep team, the player’s averages are totaled and if they

are in the top percent of the Prep League then the player re-

ceives a vote for the team. A committee then narrows the se-

lections down until a certain number of players are reached.

Cadet Jacob Grabeel finished the season with a .286

batting percentage. He also pitched 7 games with 38

strikeouts and only allowing one home run in 191 at bats.

Cadet Adam Hackenberg held a .407 batting average and 30

runs along with two home runs to add to his totals. We are

very proud of these two cadets and their athletic achieve-

ments, and are certain that they will continue doing great

things in the future.

Phone: 434-848-3212

Address: 4744 James Madison Hwy

Fork Union, VA 23055

Comments for Sabre Now: Sabre@fuma.org

All back issues can be found here

Or, visit www.tiny.cc/sabre or bit.do/fumasabre

Lifetime Brotherhood

Editor’s Note

We are almost there! It’s almost the point of the year in

which cadets’ mouths begin to water at the prospect of

summer vacation. It really seems like just two or three

months, rather than six, that we’ve been in this academic

session. The third leg of the “marathon” begins on March

14th. This is already the fourth edition of the Sabre Now,

and though I myself may be partial, it seems to have been

successful thus far. Although only time will dictate the

future of Now, all signs point toward a bright future. We

have only attained increasingly greater support from cadets

and faculty for not just readership, but also contributions

toward this newsletter. This edition was filled with high-

quality writing from Sabre staff members, and FUMA

faculty, with a special thanks to Captain Greenspon for his

excellent lacrosse piece. In the box above, there is a

hyperlink to Sabre Now’s online library, and this is a

secondary link. We encourage anyone who enjoys this

newsletter to share it with absolutely anyone interested in

keeping up with events both on campus and the ones that

are happening elsewhere, but intrigue our writers. The

Sabre wishes all cadets and their families a happy spring

break, and we look forward to seeing this school year

through with all of you. Until next time.

Fork Union Military Academy

Editor’s Note

What now can I say that has not

already been said? The end-of-year

cliche s are never-ending, it would

seem, though in truth, many of them

hold true. On the first page, I talked

about the success you will all find in

your adult lives, and surely others

have said the same. It may seem a

broken record at times, but

nonetheless true. Undoubtedly,

you’re receiving advice and tips from

parents and other family and friends

about what to do in college, but it’s

not something you need to stress

about. Remain steadfast in your faith

and follow the rules (as if it needed to

be said) and soon enough, you will be

closing the book that was your time at

college. Whether or not you began

your high-school career at Fork Union

or some other place, you all

remember your first day of high

school, and you will not soon forget it,

nor this one. Your graduation is a

lifetime memory, and you should be

proud that you are about to walk

across that stage. Until next time.

Time at Fork Union is not easy. It is not simple. It is not always fun. It is not

boring. It is not common. Time at Fork Union is not time spent alone. There

will always be a comradery that extends even well beyond the reaches of

our campus.

Even without parents and siblings, even without our houses, we will al-

ways be family and this will always be our home.

Above: A group photo

of the International

Students’ Picnic from

the end of April 2016

Right: Fork Union

class of 1966 on

Alumni Day.

Below: Ceremony for

distribution of rings

for the classes of

2016 and 2017.